MAYOR ADAMS TO TRANSFORM GRACIE MANSION INTO “HAUNTED” HALLOWEEN-THEMED EXPERIENCE FOR “HALLOWEEN AT GRACIE MANSION 2023” CELEBRATION

 

Two-Day Event Will Offer Lucky New Yorkers A Safe, Fun, and Family-Friendly Halloween Experience With Decorations, Activities, and Treats

 

New Yorkers Interested in Attending Can Sign up for Online Ticket Giveaway, With Select Tickets Reserved for New Yorkers in Shelter and Families Seeking Asylum

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced “Halloween at Gracie Mansion 2023,” a two-day celebration that will transform the outdoor grounds of historic Gracie Mansion into a “haunted” Halloween-themed experience for a group of young New Yorkers. In addition to Halloween decorations, the event will offer guests the opportunity to trick-or-treat, greet costumed characters, and visit a corn maze and haunted cemetery.

 

To help all New Yorkers enjoy Halloween this year, Mayor Adams has set aside tickets for approximately 300 families in the New York City Department of Homeless Services shelter system and asylum seeking families. The remaining tickets will be free and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public can sign up for the ticket giveaway online right now.

 

“I am confident that when we open ‘The People’s House,’ New Yorkers will finally believe me about the ghosts floating around here,” said Mayor Adams. “Halloween is a great opportunity for New Yorkers to spend time in their communities, and that’s why we are inviting our city’s residents to celebrate on the haunted — we mean historic — grounds of Gracie Mansion. We’re excited to host New Yorkers for trick-or-treating, exploring our corn maze, and braving our spooky cemetery. And to ensure that all families have a chance to enjoy Halloween, we are saving tickets specifically for families in our shelter system and seeking asylum for a fun evening.”

 

“Every child should be able to experience the fun of Halloween, which is why our administration is reserving special tickets to ‘Halloween at Gracie Mansion 2023’ for families in the city’s care,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Halloween should be a fun, family-friendly time for all people. With this event, we are making sure it is.”

 

“This year, we are making sure that ‘The People’s House’ is truly open to all the people by inviting families experiencing homeless and seeking asylum to join our ‘Halloween at Gracie Mansion 2023’ celebration,” said New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park. “We know that children experiencing homelessness endure a unique set of incredibly challenging circumstances, and this event will provide them a safe space to simply be children and enjoy all the incredible Halloween activities available at this year’s celebration.”

 

“Halloween at Gracie Mansion 2023” will take place on Saturday, October 28, 2023, and Sunday, October 29, 2023. The event — geared towards children between six and 10 years old — is expected to welcome between 1,200 and 1,500 guests to the lawn at Gracie Mansion each day to enjoy the Halloween festivities. Children are encouraged to wear costumes. Since launching in 2014, Gracie Mansion’s Halloween celebration has welcomed thousands of children for a safe and fun Halloween experience.

VCJC News & Notes 10/20/23

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

1. Shabbos
   
   

   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 10/20/23 @ 5:50 pm
   Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely. 
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 10/21/23 @ 6:53 pm
    

2. Sunday,October 22
   Sisterhood meeting 11:00 am. A brunch will be served. 

3. Help VCJC Support Israel as it recovers from and responds to the terrorist attack from Hamas.
   VCJC urges you to help support Israel following the terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas. We have set up a webpage at https://vcjc-israel.brizy.site/ where you can get some more information. That page will direct you to the UJA Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund page where you can make a donation directly to the fund.

   You can go directly to the UJA page from here, if you prefer.

   There are many ways in which we can support Israel in this hour of need, as it recovers from the brutal attack and tries to remove Hamas as a player on the world stage.

   If you wish to provide support, but prefer to use another channel, you can find a list of channels here.

   If you do make a donation as a result of the VCJC, we’d love to hear about it! Please drop us a note.

Our mailing address is: Van Cortlandt Jewish Center 3880 Sedgwick Ave Bronx, NY 10463

873 East 228th Street Wraps Up Construction In Williamsbridge, The Bronx

 

Construction is complete on 873 East 228th Street, a four-story building in Williamsbridge, The Bronx. Designed by Node Architecture Engineering and Consulting P.C., which took over from Badaly Architects, and developed by L&A Development, the 37-foot-tall structure yields 16 rental units spread across 12,171 square feet. The property is located between Barnes and Bronxwood Avenues, near the 225 Street subway station.

The façade features an exterior insulated finish system (EIFS), promoting energy efficiency and weather resistance. Additionally, high-performance windows by Visum Fenestration Systems ensure a quiet living environment for residents. Amenities include on-site and bike parking, along with a private recreational area in the rear yard.

Node AEC and L&A Development have successfully delivered a modern, sustainable residential building to the Williamsbridge neighborhood, reflecting a thoughtful blend of design and functionality.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on Solidarity Mission to Israel

Governor Hochul: “These are my messages: solidarity, deep concern for the people of Israel, particularly in the aftermath, bring home the hostages, as well as get that humanitarian aid flowing. People need it.”

Hochul: “It's obviously been a life changing experience for me to come into a war zone so quickly after the assault, the attack, the massacre…There’s a strong Jewish community in the State of New York that has deep ties…So as representing the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, it was important for me to come and experience this and be able to report firsthand of the atrocities, but also our support for Israel at this time.”

I want to take this opportunity to report to New Yorkers on the experience I've had since my arrival. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours of seeing people in their darkest pain, but also hopeful that there can be a peaceful resolution of this longstanding conflict.

What I witnessed was, in many senses, more horrific than I had imagined. First, there's the personal stories of searing pain to see a loved one stripped from your arms and taken hostage or shot in front of you. A young woman in a hospital who was crushed under the weight of five or six family members who perished, and she hid under them while the terrorists were trying to amass more casualties. And she is obviously traumatized and in the hospital and has broken ribs.

I spoke to a young soldier who, 19 years old, almost lost his leg. He wasn't even on duty, he ran back to try and save his fellow citizens and was able to extract a 95 year old woman who was trapped in her safe house surrounded by people who had been murdered. And she couldn't get out and they got her out a small window, they were able to get her with her wheelchair. And he kept fighting and fighting trying to save people, and almost lost his own life.

I met a young man who also was severely, severely injured, brought to the hospital, and his very pregnant wife was able to join him as she gave birth to the baby. After a week of intensive therapy ICU, the young man survived and was able to hold that newborn infant. So I did see some joyous images.

I also saw people with a strong sense of defiance and resiliency – people that would say what happened was an act of terror. We agree with that assessment. It was an act of terror by Hamas. And I also came to not just hear the stories, but to also bear witness to the scene of one of the most horrific attacks on the Kfar Azza kibbutz, which was one of the first places that the terrorists breached. And the slaughter of innocents, the smells, the sites, were difficult to process. There was blood all over the walls, the floors, the mattresses, safe rooms that became a house of horrors.

I saw where a hostage had been held until he was shot in the head. Saw two, the room where two young women, found naked, had been butchered. I spoke to the military. I also had a chance to speak to Israel's leaders, reconfirming New York State's solidarity with Israel, but also our strong desire to see a safe return for the hostages.

I specifically spoke to President Herzog, and showed him a picture of Omer Neutra, whose parents I met at a rally in New York City. I saw his aunt and uncle and cousin here in Israel, and spoke about the other ones who had a connection to New York, about the need to bring them home safely. I spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu about our support for Israel, but also reinforcing President Biden's desire, request that there be a flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza to make sure that there's no further loss of innocent life there either.

These are my messages: solidarity, deep concern for the people of Israel, particularly in the aftermath, bring home the hostages, as well as get that humanitarian aid flowing. People need it. I'd be happy to take any questions. It's obviously been a life changing experience for me to come into a war zone so quickly after the assault, the attack, the massacre. We were literally one mile from the Gaza border. You could hear rockets, smoke in the air.

I needed to go process this in person because I have so many people back in New York who stand with the Jewish people and their right to live free, to coexist with others, a right that's been conferred upon them for 75 years. We respect that. And there's a strong Jewish community in the State of New York that has deep ties, many concerned about loved ones, their own stories of loss, hostages, the unknown.

So as representing the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, it was important for me to come and experience this and be able to report firsthand of the atrocities, but also our support for Israel at this time.

 

Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To Distribution Of Fentanyl In Connection With Death Of 19-Year-Old Victim And Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

 

Virgil Wardlow Exchanged Black Market Fentanyl Pills for Sex with a Minor Victim and Caused the Death of a 19-Year-Old

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VIRGIL WARDLOW pled guilty today to one count of distributing fentanyl.  In connection with his guilty plea, WARDLOW stipulated that he paid for commercial sex with a minor using fentanyl-laced pills that caused the death of a 19-year-old victim.  WARDLOW pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2024. 

 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The consequences of the defendant’s conduct are heart-wrenching:  The defendant paid for sex with a 16-year-old victim using fentanyl-laced pills, which the victim’s 19-year-old friend then ingested, poisoning her and causing her death.  Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that this Office will seek justice for families facing the horrific tragedy of losing a loved one to fentanyl poisoning and for victims of child sexual exploitation.” 

According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:

WARDLOW engaged in a pattern of paying for commercial sex with black market pills that contained fentanyl.  On or about March 25, 2023, at a hotel room in the Bronx, New York, WARDLOW provided two of those pills to a 16-year-old female (“Victim-1”) in exchange for sex with Victim-1.  After Victim-1 had sex with WARDLOW and WARDLOW left the hotel room, Victim-1 and her 19-year-old female friend (“Victim-2”) ingested the pills provided by WARDLOW.  Thereafter, Victim-1 became ill, and Victim-2 became unconscious and died of a drug poisoning.

Between at least on or about February 8, 2023, and on or about April 7, 2023, WARDLOW exchanged several messages with other individuals in which WARDLOW offered to provide pills in exchange for sex or money.  WARDLOW sent these messages using an anonymized cellphone number that masked his identity from his intended victims.

WARDLOW, 31, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute mixtures and substances containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and oxycodone, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York State Police, the New York City Police Department, and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Preliminary Injunction Entered in Justice Department Suit to Stop Fraudulent Debt Collection Scheme that Harmed Veterans

 

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma has issued a preliminary injunction enjoining three individuals and two companies from continuing their fraudulent debt collection scheme. The order was issued after the department filed a civil complaint against Assured Collections LLC, Assured Financial LLC, Christopher Parks, Christopher Noah Parks and Stephen Miller.

According to the complaint, Christopher Parks, 62, who is currently incarcerated in Cushing, Oklahoma, his son, Christopher Noah Parks, 29, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Stephen Miller, 39, also of Broken Arrow, operate Assured Collections LLC and Assured Financial LLC. The defendants, according to the complaint, used those companies to distribute thousands of fraudulent debt collection notices to consumers across the country. These notices falsely stated that consumers owed money, often thousands of dollars, for durable medical equipment. In fact, defendants had no authority to contact consumers to attempt to collect any debt. Many of the notices were sent to older adults and veterans.

“No consumer should have to panic at the thought of needing to pay thousands of dollars they do not in fact need to pay,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department and its partners remain steadfast in our resolve to protect consumers from companies and individuals responsible for sending fraudulent debt collection notices.”

“The defendants in this case victimized individuals who were already traumatized by illness and were struggling emotionally, physically and financially,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “This fraudulent billing scheme caused additional harm and eroded the public’s trust in the medical industry. I’m thankful for the collaborative effort of all the investigative agencies that worked together in pursuit of justice for the victims.”

“The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for our military members,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Michael C. Mentavlos of DCIS’s Southwest Field Office. “This action is the result of strong partnerships across the law enforcement community, and demonstrates the DCIS’s ongoing commitment to investigating and prosecuting companies and individuals that seek to enrich themselves at the expense of our military members, their families and the American taxpayer.” 

“This action sends a clear message that the VA Office of Inspector General makes it a priority to investigate those who would seek to exploit our nation’s most vulnerable veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s (VA-OIG) South Central Field Office. “The VA-OIG is grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and our law enforcement partners for their efforts to achieve justice in this case.”

According to the complaint, Christopher Parks (who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison), Christopher Noah Parks and Stephen Miller knew that debt notices were fraudulent. Despite that knowledge, defendants continued to contact consumers attempting to collect.

Anyone who believes that they are a victim of the unlawful debt collection activity is encouraged to report to the Federal Trade Commission at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/#.

The VA-OIG, DCIS, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and FBI investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Patrick Runkle of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marianne Hardcastle for the Northern District of Oklahoma filed the case.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-ndok.

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of 72-Unit Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in the Bronx

HELP Home Simpson Offers Affordable Apartments with On-Site Supportive Services for 44 Formerly Homeless Adults

Development Includes Food Pantry and Community Services from St. Peter’s Deliverance Ministries

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of a 72-unit affordable and supportive housing development in the Foxhurst section of the Bronx. HELP Home Simpson replaces a one-story church building with an energy-efficient development that includes commercial space for St. Peter’s Deliverance Ministries to operate a food pantry and provide community services.

“With the completion of HELP Home Simpson, more than 70 Bronx families will now have a safe, modern, and affordable place to call home," Governor Hochul said. “My administration remains committed to increasing the supply of quality affordable housing, expanding access to critical support and services, and working closely with local organizations and service providers to ensure that all New Yorkers – particularly New Yorkers experiencing homelessness – have the security and stability they need to thrive."

In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved 14,700 affordable homes in the Bronx. HELP Home Simpson continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.

The seven-story building offers 72 apartments affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income. Forty-four apartments are reserved for chronically homeless single adults in need of supportive services to live independently. These residents will have access to services funded by the New York City 15/15 Initiative and provided by HELP USA, Inc.

The building’s ground floor features 8,500 square feet of commercial space for use by St. Peter’s Deliverance Church to conduct their ministry and community programs, including a food pantry and educational programs. Residential amenities include a roof terrace, bike storage and laundry facilities.

The building was designed to meet the heightened energy efficiency standards of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Multifamily New Construction Program. Features include energy efficient windows, Energy Star appliances and lighting, and a partial green roof.

The development team consists of HELPDevCo, CMC Development LLC, and St. Peter’s Deliverance Ministries Church.

State financing for the $33 million development includes $17.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from HCR and $63,200 from NYSERDA. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development provided $6 million from the Supportive Housing Loan Program. The Community Preservation Corporation will provide $7.6 million under Freddie Mac’s permanent loan program.

161st Street Business Improvement District - 2nd Annual Halloween Fun in the 161 - Saturday, October 28

 

Next Saturday, October 28 join us for our 2nd Annual Halloween Fun in the 161! This event is part of NYC Department of Transportation's Open Streets Program with collaboration with NYC Parks and NYPD Community Affairs. Bubbledad will make an appearance along with Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and LeMonde Studio. Look for lots of fun, candy and your chance to test out your costumes before the big day on October 31!

RSVP HERE!